Rachel Sennott discussing her uproarious series portraying the chaotic appeal of younger generation existence
The star enters the digital interview and at once begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming truly apologetic. Although she's only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s just what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Those familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that she penned with the director and featured in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—would already know that she holds plenty to say, be it on identity, relationships, or the pros of creating a youth brawl society. And, after watching the recent multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has further insights about the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, citing the show together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which follows the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and ally and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the program about an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA originated—partly—from her own, initially difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that saw her understand some big insights, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, the star began creating and acting humor while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and very) unconventional skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned about Sennott previously will likely be regretting it today. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she has created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content named on LA life online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be easy to make a program about online fame that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. The series avoids both, resulting in a portrait of affluent young adult living that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” she observes. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant